From who they're looking forward to playing alongside to their initial chats with the coach, hear what our draftees had to say as the entire playing group returned for pre-season training on Monday.

Nick Watson

"I trained here the last couple of years through the academy which I think has helped (arriving to the club), but everyone has welcomed me with open arms, it has been good fun. I think getting used to the full days (will be an adjustment), the main sessions and being up against bigger bodies as well, so I'm just getting used to that at the moment, but I'm sure I'll get the swing of it. I spoke to Sam Mitchell earlier on and his main message is that it's a marathon, not a sprint - he wants us to have a long, healthy career instead of a short one. So I think I'm just focussed on maintaining my body right now. After the draft, your number doesn't really matter. While it was nice getting picked in the top five, at the end of the day it's just a number, everyone is even and you just get to work. I've been watching Luke Breust over the last couple years, he's a freak. I'm looking forward to working alongside Jack Ginnivan as well. I'm just looking forward to working alongside everyone really."

Bodie Ryan

"(On playing in the Glenelg Reserves premiership) It's definitely put me in good stead just being around bigger bodies, having come up from the under 18s. There is still a long way to go, but I'm excited. I know I need to put in the work, gain the respect from my teammates and see where that takes me. I look to someone like James Sicily, I hope to model my game off him, being that third tall that can play small and on some keys as well. I'd be looking to get under his book and see if he can give me any tips. When I was playing in the reserves, I just wanted to show my teammates why I'm there and in the team. I go hard into the contest and give it a crack."

Will McCabe

"Dad's advice so far is to just soak it all up, because you never know what might happen. It was the best time of his life when he was playing AFL football. He had a very long career, and even he said it went very fast. I'd love to play a game (next season), that's always in the back of your head, but there is a long way to go until that. I think physically, I'm not there yet. I'll crack into it this pre-season and see what comes from it. This year, I played a little bit of school footy, a bit of state as well and SANFL, so I was a little bit all over the shop. At SANFL I was able to play a bit more of my game and have a bit more freedom which was nice. As draftees, we're all looking to contribute something to the team, earn our stripes and respect, and impress them on the track. I was here last pre-season for a couple of weeks under the father-son rule, that was a very exciting experience putting on the training gear. It has felt like a long time coming, it was a little bit stressful I just wanted to officially be a Hawk, and now that I am, it's a big relief. I think Sicily's aerial contest is very impressive, alongside his body work and his ability to read the ball. He's often playing undersized, but very rarely loses. His a very smart footballer so to see what he has to offer me would be great."

Calsher Dear 

"To know I'm coming in here longer for a week or two is really exciting, I've had a lot of fun since the start, I'm really happy. The long days I think will be the biggest challenge, but over time you start get used to it and becomes a new reality. Sam reinforced a similar thing, it's not about having short careers, you want to keep building slowly. I'm more of a development player, so I'll be spending my time putting on weight and strength. I've spoken to Mitch Lewis and he said he came through basically the same as me, and then you look to where he is now over the last few years. I think building towards where he is at and learning off him will be unreal."

Watch the full press conference with our draftees below.